These California coastal cities face heightened flood danger from tsunami, data show
- There are a number of scenarios where California could get hours of lead time ahead of a damaging tsunami. But should a quake strike close to shore, there could be little to no warning.
- Tsunami hazard zones can extend to bayside and riverside areas relatively far from the Pacific coast.
[...]
The most recent risk assessment, outlined in maps that were published by the California Geological Survey and reviewed by The Times, illustrate the devastation that could result from scenarios considered to be extreme, but realistic. For instance, a large tsunami could flood swaths of Marina del Rey, Long Beach and the nearby dual port complex to an elevation of up to 15 feet above sea level.
A worst-case tsunami could bring flooding to sizable areas of Oakland, Berkeley and Alameda, up to 18 feet above sea level.
Flooding could reach up to 30 feet above the average high tide along the outer coast of Humboldt Bay and the Eureka area, and up to 50 feet toward Crescent City and Cayucos.
But for most Californians, the precise extent of tsunami risk is less important than knowing these hazard zones exist in the first place. The magnitude 7 quake Dec. 5 off the Humboldt County coast - which prompted a tsunami warning affecting millions in Northern California - was a blaring reminder of that.
[...]